Vegas No Longer Blackjack and Gambling Sin City but New Disneyland
Old vs. New Vegas
The number of tourists to Las Vegas who spend their time gambling is dropping each year as the Sin City is turning into yet another Disneyland clone.
The politicians wanted and dreamed of it for years and they are finally reaping what the sowed.
The dream of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel of a playground for ADULTS, where 24 hour action, excitement, blackjack card games, adult theme cabaret shows, nonstop gambling, boozing, dancing and easy women is dying.
On the bones of the pleasure palaces from where the likes of Sinatra and the Rat Pack painted the town red, now are built poignant politically correct McPalaces more suited for Disney Land or Six Flags Great Adventure.
“Mommy, Mommy can we go see the pirate show at Treasure Island and then the dancing bears at the Mirage,” is now heard on the Vegas Strip instead of the old, “Where the dancing broads, the nearest bar and a one deck blackjack table, because baby, I am feeling lucky tonight!”
Passangers on flights to Vegas no longer read the latest black jack strategy book but prefer articles analyzing if Giuseppina Bozzacchi or Jean-Baptiste Hus would have danced better in the newest Snow White ballet revival on the Vegas Strip.
The numbers don’t lie. The recent report by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority shows that fewer and fewer visitors each year spend their time and money playing craps, slots and blackjack card games.
The new 2010 report shows that 80% of tourists spent $466 each gambling that year, while in 2009, 83% of tourists spent $482 gambling. In 2009 tourists gambled an average of 3.2 hours while in 2010 it was under 3 hours.
The new casino strategy of making Sin City into Disney Vegas is working! A Google search for ‘Fun things to do in Vegas’ reveals the sad fact that the most popular travel sites, considered experts in the industry, only gush about family friendly fun things to do.
The #1 search result (Destination 360 Travel Guide) fails to include on its list of things to do in Vegas: poker, WSOP, slots, craps and roulette. The word ‘gambling’ is mentioned once in passing in a lengthy article meant to describe fun things to do in Vegas. Blackjack is mentioned once. A strategy, some cute trick or the latest blackjack tips were offered perhaps? No, the writer considers blackjack not a fun activity.
A fun family activity is instead set up at the expense of blackjack along with casino dealers – ‘”If the thrill of the blackjack table isn’t your bag, or the dealer at the casino is taking too much of your money’ (than you should have some real Vegas fun at [insert name of family activity highly rated by 6 year olds.]
So what happened? Corporations love sanitized entertainment that caters to lowest common denominator – a 6 year old.
Captain Hook style pirates and the cuddly clown shows happened. It’s probably easier to find dancing Can-Can burlesque girls on the Mickey Mouse Cruise Ship than on the Vegas Strip.
The only woman of ill-repute left on the strip is the Wicked Witch of the West at the Casino Wizard of Oz Show (Ages 3+ Welcome!)
Bugsy Siegel is spinning in his grave.
Viva Las Disney!
What the hell are you talking about? Any idiot with a computer and a modem knows that there are no bears at the Mirage, no Snow White Ballet, or no Wizard of Oz show. Casinos have been moving away from family entertainment for a decade. You want tits, go to Jubilee, Zumanity, Fantasy, Crazy Horse Paris, Peepshow, X Burlesque, or Crazy Girls. Most bigger resorts have a topless pool area. Every casino has hot babes dealing blackjack, craps, and roulette.
Numbers going down? It’s called A RECESSION bozo.
Seriously, this writer should lose his job and go back to the playground.
have you ever BEEN to vegas.. or are you just writing down whatever comes into your mind after you read some financial releases
as a resident of vegas, you couldn’t be any farther from the truth, they tried the “family thing” in the late 90’s, it didnt work, 5 years ago they closed and tore down the only water park for 300 miles, theres not even any good minigolf out here anymore.. scandia closed about the time Wet n’ Wild did, theres 2 things for people to take their kids to do in vegas (residents and visitors alike) the adventuredome @ circus circus and las vegas mini grand prix (thats a ways away from the strip though), hell THE VISITORS have more access to things to do in the middle of the summer than the residents, because the visitors at least have access to their hotel pools, other than that when its 120º outside, your only other options have been mentioned, or you can sit at a slot machine in the AC
im truly ashamed that something THIS misleading could have ended up in my google news feed
Dear Your a Moron,
Lake Mead is 30 miles from Las Vegas, just a 45 minute drive away for all the water sports you may dream of. There are now what, 5 roller-coasters inside Vegas? Circus Circus has nothing for kids either. MGM definitely kid unfriendly and so is Mirage for that matter. Discovery children’s museum. Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay (kids under 4 are free).
This is just from the top of my head.
Been coming to Vegas for 30 years. Don’t remember any of this junk being in Vegas during my first visit.
I am sorry you felt mislead, but you live in Vegas, you aren’t a tourist on a 48 hour vacation, desperately in need of action not dancing pirates nor another magic show.
Wow you know your T&A. I should write an article about this. I mis-read what you wrote, and first thought they had topless blackjack dealers at most major hotels. Was getting ready to order a plane ticket. Thank you for your comments.
Nick,
You are clearly behind the times as far as trends in Las Vegas. There are more bars, clubs and upscale adult venues than ever. Why did you put the “casino strategy” link in your article? It links to a web page meant for beginning BJ players and not to some explanation of the casino’s strategy to turn LV into Disneyland. Worthless.
Dear no longer a reader,
Perhaps you misunderstood the comparison I was drawing( embedded in sarcasm) between the Vegas of today to the Vegas of yesteryears. The growth rate of family friendly establishment slowed down in comparison with 5 years ago. How about we compare today’s version to the 1980s or 1960s versions when Vegas was practically 99% adult themed.
I apologize the software auto-linked ‘casino strategy’ to an incorrect article, consider it a typo for which I sincerely apologize.
I don’t apologize for the article. Please search on Google for ”fun things to do in Vegas”. Read all 10 articles, judged most popular, including the top50, top100 lists. if you don’t find 75% of those lists packed with activities appropriate for pre-schoolers or 3rd graders, I will type a retraction. I Check Raise All In, and thats one Call you wont make.
Thank you for reading,
Nick Meisher.
Viva Las Disney!
What the hell are you talking about? Any idiot with a computer and a modem knows that there are no bears at the Mirage, no Snow White Ballet, or no Wizard of Oz show. Casinos have been moving away from family entertainment for a decade. You want tits, go to Jubilee, Zumanity, Fantasy, Crazy Horse Paris, Peepshow, X Burlesque, or Crazy Girls. Most bigger resorts have a topless pool area. Every casino has hot babes dealing blackjack, craps, and roulette.
Numbers going down? It’s called A RECESSION bozo.
Seriously, this writer should lose his job and go back to the playground.
have you ever BEEN to vegas.. or are you just writing down whatever comes into your mind after you read some financial releases
as a resident of vegas, you couldn’t be any farther from the truth, they tried the “family thing” in the late 90’s, it didnt work, 5 years ago they closed and tore down the only water park for 300 miles, theres not even any good minigolf out here anymore.. scandia closed about the time Wet n’ Wild did, theres 2 things for people to take their kids to do in vegas (residents and visitors alike) the adventuredome @ circus circus and las vegas mini grand prix (thats a ways away from the strip though), hell THE VISITORS have more access to things to do in the middle of the summer than the residents, because the visitors at least have access to their hotel pools, other than that when its 120º outside, your only other options have been mentioned, or you can sit at a slot machine in the AC
im truly ashamed that something THIS misleading could have ended up in my google news feed
Dear Your a Moron,
Lake Mead is 30 miles from Las Vegas, just a 45 minute drive away for all the water sports you may dream of. There are now what, 5 roller-coasters inside Vegas? Circus Circus has nothing for kids either. MGM definitely kid unfriendly and so is Mirage for that matter. Discovery children’s museum. Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay (kids under 4 are free).
This is just from the top of my head.
Been coming to Vegas for 30 years. Don’t remember any of this junk being in Vegas during my first visit.
I am sorry you felt mislead, but you live in Vegas, you aren’t a tourist on a 48 hour vacation, desperately in need of action not dancing pirates nor another magic show.
Wow you know your T&A. I should write an article about this. I mis-read what you wrote, and first thought they had topless blackjack dealers at most major hotels. Was getting ready to order a plane ticket. Thank you for your comments.
Nick,
You are clearly behind the times as far as trends in Las Vegas. There are more bars, clubs and upscale adult venues than ever. Why did you put the “casino strategy” link in your article? It links to a web page meant for beginning BJ players and not to some explanation of the casino’s strategy to turn LV into Disneyland. Worthless.
Dear no longer a reader,
Perhaps you misunderstood the comparison I was drawing( embedded in sarcasm) between the Vegas of today to the Vegas of yesteryears. The growth rate of family friendly establishment slowed down in comparison with 5 years ago. How about we compare today’s version to the 1980s or 1960s versions when Vegas was practically 99% adult themed.
I apologize the software auto-linked ‘casino strategy’ to an incorrect article, consider it a typo for which I sincerely apologize.
I don’t apologize for the article. Please search on Google for ”fun things to do in Vegas”. Read all 10 articles, judged most popular, including the top50, top100 lists. if you don’t find 75% of those lists packed with activities appropriate for pre-schoolers or 3rd graders, I will type a retraction. I Check Raise All In, and thats one Call you wont make.
Thank you for reading,
Nick Meisher.